An Alternate Ending
by history101
Summary: AU. Takes place before the end of episode 220, the boat journey is interrupted by a strange storm and soon the gang are thrown back in time and meet a mysterious stranger who calls himself a traveller. Can they find their way home, or will they be lost in time forever? Not slash. I don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh.
1. A Stormy Tempest

A.N. Okay, we'll the truth is, I know I said I wouldn't write another thing for Yu-Gi-Oh, but this has been swimming around my head for ages and the fish were starting to get annoyed. So this is where fanfiction comes in.

**PLEASE READ**: This is going to be an AU starting from just before the ending of episode 220, so all you need to know is that the Pharaoh has his ancient memories back and Ishizu, Marik, Odeon, Gramps, Yugi, Teà, Joey, Mokuaba, Kaiba, Bakura, Tristan and Duke are all on the boat to the island West of Egypt.

I used the American names, and if you read my one shot entitled **Loose Ends** and read the A.N there then you know why, if not; go look 'cos I'm not repeating myself. The two stories aren't related but my feelings on the names and the Pharaoh's age remain the same.

Finally, I know it's not the most imaginative title but it does what is says on the tin...oh and don't forget to review and let me know if you want me to continue!

* * *

**An Alternate Ending.**

**Chapter 1: A Stormy Tempest. **

* * *

_"Now I must seal them away forever by entering the spirit world," _Atemu had said calmly and the words echoed in Teà's mind as she tried to sleep. She lay in her bed staring out at the Egyptian sky through the window opposite, but she found that sleep was quite impossible.

There was just too much to think about. It would be best for the Pharaoh to be at peace and finally rest, and it would allow Yugi to move on and be himself. But it would mean losing a good friend whose name they had only just learnt after 5 years.

Was it really fair? Was it the right thing to do? What did the Pharaoh want? And what did Yugi want? Did the ancient king want to die..to move on and leave them? Did Yugi want the spirit to go? After being trapped for 3,000 years inside your own mind, a mind that was full of questions wouldn't any normal person go mad? How had the Pharaoh survived in isolation for so long?

She sighed again and rolled onto her right side as the thoughts kept coming but soon the room started to sway violently and Teà was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, her blankets fell with her and she stared with wide eyes at the shaking room.

Her heart beat faster as the shelves started to rock and topple over, shattering the objects that rested on them, the walls sounded like they were screaming and the glass in the windows smashed, sending lethal shards everywhere. Teà jumped to her feet and ran out of them room wearing only her shorts and vest, she ran down the corridor and out onto the boat deck.

Her fiends were already scattered around the deck with Kaiba and Mokuba running up from behind her.

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked with a worried expression as he stared at the huge waves that made the ship rock back and forth without mercy.

There were grey storm clouds above their heads gathering directly above the vessel like a tornado. It began to rain and golden lightning flashed inside the dark clouds casting eerie shadows on the boat. The light continued to increase and soon it was as blinding as the morning sun.

On the boat deck Yugi clutched the bag of Millennium items closely as he lost all consciousness. Soon the others soon succumbed to the light and they soon fell, unmoving onto the deck. The light faded away and so did the boat, and the sky and they clouds, as nothing else existed but darkness...

* * *

...Joey felt weightless as he forced his eyes open...but soon he wished that he hadn't. His body was soon aching like he'd been gang fighting all night without backup, or been at the gym for a week without a break. He managed to get his eyes open and he soon adjusted to the darkness that met him.

"Where are we?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his aching head. He looked around him and saw Ishizu, Marik and Odeon sitting upright to his right, there was Kaiba and Mokuba, Gramps, Bakura, Duke, Tristan Teà and Yugi. At least wherever they were they were all together...even if that did mean having to put up with rich boy.

"I dunno, but it can't be good," Yugi replied standing up from the cold, hard stone floor. His amethyst eyes looked down and expected to see the golden Millennium Puzzle round his neck...but it was gone. "The Puzzle's gone..." he said quietly to himself but the others heard him.

"Say what?" Tristan shouted and their Egyptian friends began to look as worried as Yugi.

They all managed to stand despite their aching muscles and looked at their new surroundings. It appeared to be a cave...except the walls were perfectly straight and smooth, as was the ceiling and the floor. A man made cave? Their was a small light coming from one end and endless darkness from the other.

"Greetings, travellers," said a song-like voice, it carried in the air and sounded without emotion.

"Wah!" Joey screamed, "Who's...who's d'at?" he jumped to his feet and pointed with a shaking hand at the cloaked figure standing in front of them. The persons identity was impossible to determine as the black cowl cast long shadows on their face, and the cloak shielded their body from the small light that came from the far end of the cave-like tunnel.

"I am a traveller, like you," the voice replied enigmatically.

"Where is it you're traveling to?" Ishizu asked the stranger but she got no answer.

"Listen here ya creep!" Joey said with renewed courage as he stomped over to the shadowed figure...and fell through it. "Wha...not another ghost!" he screamed and ran to stand behind Yugi who only stared at him in bemusement.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked more calmly than Joey as his friend cowered behind him.

"I am no one and yet I am everyone," the stranger replied and the group blinked in confusion.

"D'at's...really...not helpful..." Joey muttered and beside him Tristan and Duke nodded.

Within seconds the cloaked figure vanished in a puff of smoke before anyone else could say anything or even insult the stranger further he was gone.

"Hey, where's the Pharaoh...err...I mean Atemu?" Tristan asked, the ancient name still sounding foreign on his tongue.

"Good question, I haven't seen him since..." Teà trailed off as they all searched round for their missing friend but finding nothing.

"Well clearly he's not here, we should get out and see where we actually are," Kaiba said. He couldn't believe he was stuck in some unknown place with the dweeb patrol, it was bad enough being confined in a boat with them...but now he didn't even know where they were at all!

"We can't just leave!" Joey protested but Kaiba was already walking off towards what they assumed was the exit with Mokuba taking cautious steps beside him.

"Well, Yugi, where's he usually hang out when you're here?" Duke asked their friends but he sighed in reply.

"Inside the Millennium Puzzle, but it's gone," Yugi answered.

"Well...maybe we should see if that's a way out, I hate to say it but Kaiba does have the right idea," Duke said and the others nodded. Soon the group of 12 were walking quickly up the tunnel and towards the light that they hoped, and assumed was a way out.

However, rather than being a way out the group were lead towards flickering flames, not the fresh air, and into a larger space, still with the smooth stone walls. Now there was room for them to stare down from the stone balcony that they now stood on. A few feet down there was a passageway that had a small, narrow causeway with torches on either side and paintings of men and women adorning the walls.

"Great! Now what?" Joey sighed and Gramps rubbed his beard in thought while the others looked around at the new cave.

"Where are we?" Bakura asked quietly as he took in the beautifully carved pillars in front of them.

"Must I go with you, father? I don't like this place, what are we doing here anyway?" they heard a young voice ask and it sounded scared and worried. What Solomon Motou found curious was it sounded just like his grandson, so he squinted his old eyes as they saw a shadow cast on the ground, it was approaching them from the tunnel so they waited for the person to appear.

"This is something you must witness, my son, now follow me," another voice said, it was deep and emotionless.

"Why is it so dark down here?" the lighter voice asked. They heard the voices getting louder and louder and soon they could distinguish two sets of footsteps as well.

"You needn't be afraid, this sanctuary is protected by the Egyptian gods themselves. As long as you show your respect, nothing here will harm you," the deep voice replied and soon they saw the owner of this voice descend the stairs and walk onto the causeway. He carried a wooden torch with a flickering flame and continued to walk ahead while the younger voice walked behind him.

"No, I won't go any further," the young one protested and they all stared in shock with wide eyes. It was an even smaller Yugi...dressed in creme clothes and adorned in gold.

"This is not a matter of choice," the older man said without emotion and continued to walk on. He had a close cropped grey beard and wore a head dress, his long decorative coat billowed behind him as the child ran to match his long strides.

"Look," Yugi whispered, "That man's got the Millennium Puzzle," he pointed.

"Father, wait..." the young boy called and ran to his fathers' side.

"Stay close, and be aware of your surroundings at all times," his father replied.

"...Are they playing dress up, or somethin'?" Mokuba asked as he stared down at the two people.

The boy was now walking behind the father and looking around at the walls on either side of him as the man had told him. But he failed to notice the edge of the path was weak and crumbling and he soon fell from the causeway. He managed to hold himself up by his arms and called to the man for help, "Father, help," he called.

The man, his father, stopped his walk and turned to the boy, they expected him to run to his child's aid but insisted he didn't move as he said, "Lift yourself up, my boy," he told the child.

Surprisingly the boy didn't ask for help again but did as his father said, despite the difficulty of the task he pulled himself up back onto the path and the man walked away before the boy had even stood up again.

"Who are all these people?" the boy asked curiously.

"Pharaoh's that came before," the man replied and they watched as he stopped as he and the boy reached the wall.

There was a small set of stone stairs that lead up to a small shine and the man knelt at the base of the steps. "Egyptian Gods, hear me, I have committed a crime beyond atonement, and for this I am truly sorry. By brining the seven millennium items into this world I have destroyed the lives of thousands. I bear full responsibility for these actions, please, spare my son, do not punish him for the misdeeds of his father," he said, his voice suddenly sounding remorseful and pleading.

"Are you alright, father? Why is you're crying?" the child asked sadly.

There came a great thunder clap from above and light flashed in the cave, casting long shadows across the walls. White and golden light illuminated the small shrine and they watched as the boy backed away in fear.

"My son, fear not, you are safe now," the man said as he straightened his back. He attempted to stand up but he faltered and the light died down, the older man collapsed back onto his knees and his child ran over to help support his father.

Yugi and his close friends were about to run down to help the man but Solomon and the Ishtar's stopped them. "We don't know where we are yet, it wouldn't be wise to show ourselves yet," Solomon said and they nodded in reluctant agreement as they watched the child autopsy help his father sit down.

"Father, what is it? What's wrong?" the boy asked hurriedly.

"It is not important, but you need to leave," his father said weakly, "Go!" he shouted and the cave walls seemed to quake at his voice.

The boy took a step back but stopped and knelt beside his father, "That was not a suggestion, as your Pharaoh I am ordering you to leave," he said, his voice still weakening.

"And as your Prince Regent I am choosing to disobey you," his son said with a voice powerful enough to rival his fathers.

The man stared at his son with tired eyes until he passed out, he was limp in his sons' arms but the boy had a difficult time supporting his weight. So he set down his father on the ground carefully and tried to stir him awake. When it became clear that it was not going to work the boy sat down beside his ailing father and brought his knees up to his chin as tears streamed down his tanned skin.

Then a second later he jumped up and wiped his eyes, the took a gold ring from his fathers finger and with one last look at the man he ran quickly from the chamber.

"Where'd he go?" Yugi asked quietly as he stared at the man with a worried look, "Shouldn't we help him?"

"I don't know...who's the kid?" Seto said with his arms crossed over his chest. He got the feeling he knew who the child was...but it couldn't the real...it couldn't be possible.

But soon the child was back and breathing hard as he made his way back over to his still motionless father. He leaned into the man and brushed the grey hair from his face and removed the Millennium Puzzle from his father's neck and placed it round his own. They watched as the golden artefact emitted a strong golden light as it came to rest against the boys' chest but it soon faded away.

In mere minutes they heard more footsteps approaching from the tunnel, there were long shadows cast on the ground and three men ran over to the man and boy.

One wore a long clean robe with a hood and had long grey hair poking out round his neck. Another had a clean shaven head with tattoos on his forehead of small, wavy lines and piercing blue eyes fixed on his Pharaoh. And he carried the Millennium key in his right hand. The last one wore an ornate blue and creme hat with gold on it and a long robe with a dark blue stripe down the middle and the Millennium rod in his hand.

"Whoa...check it out...it's like Millennium items 'R' us," Duke whispered.

"My Prince, what happened here?" the man with the Millennium rod asked.

"I'm not sure, priest Seto," the boy answered as the man called Seto as he and the clean shaven man lifted up the sleeping Pharaoh carefully.

"Shada, carefully now, we must get the Pharaoh back to the palace at once, " Priest Seto said the the other man.

"Hey, Yug...don't we know d'at guy..." Joey asked quietly but he got no answer as they were watching the scene intently.

"Come along, young Prince," the older man said and as he turned around Yugi saw the Millennium eye resting in the mans' right eye socket. The boy walked out by the mans side and soon they were gone.

"Come on," Yugi said to his friends as they followed after them. After following the ends of the shadows for a few minutes they saw the nights sky and mounds on mounds of sand. The people they had followed were leaving on horseback with a hawk flying over head.

"Smart kid," Solomon said as he he saw a golden glint in the birds feet.

"What'd we do now?" Teà sighed as she stared out at the desert that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles ahead.

"Well first I suggest we find shelter for when morning comes, night is the best time to travel in the desert, but of course there could be other threats," Solomon said.

"I not know about you geeks, but I plan on getting home," Kaiba said, "This is obviously some trick and I don't plan on staying here any longer than it takes for me to find a way out."

"I'm not sure, Seto," Mokuba said warily as he knelt down and let the sand fall though his fingers, "It feels pretty real to me."

"I got it!" Joey clicked his fingers, "That guy back there, it's that Kaiba look-a-like we saw back in the Pharaoh's memories," he announced proudly.

"...Err...look-a-like?" Mokuba repeated.

"Yup," Joey nodded.

"Does that mean that little kid was...Atemu?" Teà said with uncertainty.

"It sure looked like him," Bakura added.

"Yeah, but he looked like Yugi too," Mokuba said.

"Well, y'know technically since the Pharaoh was born first doesn't that mean that Yugi looks like him and not the other way round?" Duke asked but no one saw fit to answer him.

"Let's hurry, if we're lucky we might be ale to follow their trail," Marik, who had remained quiet with his brother and sister until now, said and despite many protests about wandering the desert, they did so.

* * *

A.N. So what say you?

I just had to start it off with that scene from his memories, it's just so cute and emotional, I just couldn't ignore it! Should I continue? The choice is yours!


	2. Ancient Amunet's Plaza Hotel

A.N. Thank you to all who took the time to review, and I guess...thank you for reading. The only reason I had is up so quick is becasue it was mostly finished from before, not all updates will be this quick!

Now without further ado, here's the next chapter!

* * *

**An Alternate Ending**

**Chapter 2: Ancient Amunet's** **Plaza Hotel**

* * *

After what seemed like hours the group of strangely dressed, anachronistic travellers reached the strong walls of the great city Thebes. Famously made of mature sandstone and extremely difficult to penetrate. The Nile ran close to the city and the people had dug small, sinewy trenches flowing with water that lead into the city bringing clean water to the wells and trees inside.

It could easily be described as a paradise. Even at night. The beautiful dark sky was illuminated by thousands and thousands of stars, Yugi started up at them in wonder. Stars were not something that modern city dwellers noticed or even took the time to look upon since the night was brightened with blinding electricity. The lush palm trees added a rich, lively feel to the earthy city made of mud brick.

"So...what now?" Bakura asked, "Finding the city is all well and good but what are we supposed to do now that we found it?"

"Good question," Yugi replied as he sat down on a tor of rocks covered with sand. "If we go in there's no telling if people'll actually see us again," he frowned.

"What'd ya mean?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, when we came here last time, through the Pharaoh's memories only he and a few other people could see us..." he answered.

"Why?"

"Well, technically because we hadn't been born...so they couldn't see us, and we couldn't eat the food...oh and we went through stuff..." Tristan said.

"Except the gates to the palace," Teà added and they nodded angrily.

"So what'd we do if that happens now?" Bakura asked.

"We could just go in and see," Kaiba said, he was getting tired of listening to the dweebs rattle on and on. He needed peace and quiet to think of a way out.

"That might not be the best idea, Kaiba," Yugi replied, "Remember, you look like that priest, I look like the Pharaoh, and who knows how many of you have a double running round here."

"What's your point?" Kaiba asked him.

"Don't you think they'd find it weird, if they do see us, that we look like them? Plus they'd want to know where we come from and dressed like this we'll just draw attention to ourselves, attention that we really don't need right now." Yugi answered and even Kaiba had to admit that Yugi had a point, several good points in fact.

"Which doesn't leave us with a lot of options," Solomon added and sat down slowly beside his grandson. The others followed his lead except Kaiba who, of course had to be defiant till the last even over such simple matters.

"It thought it didn't leave us with any options," Marik sighed as he leaned back against the desert rocks with his hands behind his head.

"Well, the ancients were used to foreign visitors and travellers, it was a centre of trade, we could just claim that we're passing through," Solomon suggested.

"That's true, but where are we supposed to stay..." Marik asked.

"We could buy a place at someone's house..." Joey said, "They still did that back then...or...now...right?" he asked.

"I suppose so," Marik shrugged, "And what other choice do we have, we need to figure out why we're here, and since we were lead here it's seems right that we'll find our answers in there," he said.

"Yes, I believe you are right," Ishizu nodded.

"Well I don't," Kaiba interjected, "And I for one don't intend to go running around in the desert pretending to be a merchant."

"You got a better idea, rich boy?" Joey asked angrily.

Kaiba only sneered down at him and Mokuba stared up at his big brother, "He's right, big bro, we don't even know how we got here, what else are we supposed to do?" he asked his brother.

Kaiba knew that he was right, after all what else could he do? But it was the principle of the matter, his pride wouldn't allow him to admit that he was at a loss. and he knew that he was going to have to work with them...in order to get home...and the thought did nothing to lift his mood.

So with no other ideas they approached the city gate and were let in surprisingly easy by the guards. Each one was armed with swords, spears and arrows, but as Mr Motou had rightly said, the Egyptians were used to travelling strangers and didn't tend to ask many questions since Thebes drew in people from across the continent.

They turned onto what appeared to be a main street, it was wider than the others and was lined on either side with mostly single story buildings. Some had hung thin sheets across the walls of opposing housed to create shade underneath from the morning sun. They could hear the sounds of braying donkeys and horses, clucking chickens, barking dogs and quiet cats.

It smelt like animals and sand...not surprising really, but it was still. A huge change from what they were used to. Solomon didn't seem to have any problem adapting since he had spent the better part of his youth...and a lot of his old age in Egypt on archeological digs which tended to be low tech.

The streets were mostly empty, not the busy hubbub that Ygui and his friends had seen last time they were here, but there was still people walking in and out of buildings. Occasionally people shouted to one another and a few people even passed them riding horses in the street.

There was a young girl wearing a simple dress of murky creme cotton, a pleated black wig and simple sandals carrying a pot of water passing them. She tried valiantly not to stare at them, but she was intrigued by their clothes; she'd never seen such clothes before in her life, not even on the nobles.

"Well, let's try this again," Joey said with forced enthusism, clearly he hadn't noticed that this girl could see them as plain as day, "Hello, miss," he called and she almost dropped her pot.

Yugi ran over to her and helped her before it hit the ground and she smiled in thanks. "Thank you, kind sir," she said politely, "Your friend startled me."

"...Yeah...he does that..." Yugi said with a shy smile, "...I...err...I don't suppose you know if there's a place we could spend the night...we...err...we just got here you see?"

"Are you foreign traders?" she asked curiously.

"Err...sure, that's us," Tristan said awkwardly and Teà face-palmed.

"What do you trade in? And where is your ware?" she asked them with growing suspicion she took a wary step back.

"No," Yugi said, "My friend, was just kidding, we're just passing through and we need a place to stay," he glared at Tristan, "And we'd be really gratefully if you could help us out."

"Well..."

"Come on, miss, we've been walking round in the desert for hours, I'm seein' double here," Joey begged her and she sighed in defeat.

"Well, you could try Amunet's, she rents a lot of rooms to strangers and she doesn't ask many questions," the girl replied and pointed them in the right direction.

"Thank you," Yugi called over his shoulder as his friends lead him away.

"Well, at least we know that people can see us this time," Joey sighed in relief.

"Gee, what gave it away?" Tristan asked sarcastically and Joey growled at him.

"But we do stand out," Bakura added.

"Which, considering our situation, is not good," Solomon agreed as they approached a particularly large building. It was made of the same mid brick as the rest of the city but this one had clearly been added to over the years to add more and more space.

"I guess this must be some sort of ancient version of a hotel," Mokuba smiled.

"It sure doesn't look five star," Duke sighed.

"Well considering that this is the world without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing, I'm not exactly expecting it to beat the Plaza," Teà smirked at him.

"Hello...anyone here..." Yugi called as they pushed open the strong looking wooden door and looked around.

The ground floor appeared to be one big open space with a place for a fire at the far end with tables and chairs scattered round it. There were people lying round the room too, they looked poor and tired. Every city had its vagabonds and tramps and it looked like some of the, found shelter here.

Apparently, Amunet was the widow of a builder with four strong sons and in-laws, one married daughter and five grandchildren all living in the same street. She was at least 50 years old but she gave the impression of great energy. And looked like the kind of person you didn't tick off. She approached the group with a worn expression, smudged kohl and a dated and aged wig, but she was friendly enough.

"What can I do you for, strangers?" she asked them as she brought small bowls of food to the men, women and children lying on her floors. They took the food without a word and she led them there to eat it, it seemed that his was the way things were run here.

"We need a place to stay, I..err...I don't know how long well be needing it for," Yugi said.

"Well, I got a few o' the bigger rooms free, you can have two of 'em between the lot of you. You got payment?" she said with experience.

"Well.. I don't have any money..." Yugi said quietly before his grandfather nudged his shoulder.

"Remember, Yugi, the Egyptians didn't have a specific currency, they had a barter system, anything we want has the be bartered with things, not money," Solomon told him.

"But we don't have anything to bated with either," he said but the woman only sighed.

"You can help in the fields in the morning with the others and the rest of you can grind the grain as well," she told them.

"What?" Joey exclaimed, clearly not too excited about the prospect of manual labour.

"Well, do you want the rooms or not?" she snapped back.

"It would be nice," Ishizu replied.

"Then you work for 'em," she concluded and soon she lead them up a creaky wooden staircase onto the fist floor.

Since Teà and Ishizu were the only girls it seemed unfair to split the two rooms gender wise, so they ended up sharing a room with Solomon, Marik, Bakura and Yugi with Tristan, Joey, Kaiba, Mokuba, Odeon, and Duke in the other. The two rooms were next to each other on the first floor and lead out onto a small corridor which linked with the stairs and several othe rooms.

The building itself showed clear signs of where it had been added to over the years with different shades of brown, some more aged than others, but it was a sturdy place with the space utilised as efficiently as possible.

"Well...it's not the Plaza...is it?" Joey sighed as he pulled a sheet and a cushion over to the wall and tried to make himself comfortable, as there were few beds they decided on a rotor...based on rock, paper, siccors, which of course Kaiba hadn't taken part in. So he was sleeping on the floor regardless.

"What did you expect?" Kaiba snapped and folded his coat up then used it as a pillow. He just knew one day that his luck would run out...and now he was stuck in the same room as Wheeler...yes sir, someone up there really had it in for him .

Joey had found it strange that Kaiba had insisted that Mokuba get one of the...what could be called beds...in the room. Occasionally he believed that he had Kaiba figured out...like then he was being the protective older brother...but now he was being a jerk again. No wonder the stupid jerk had no friends; he couldn't be nice to any one but Mokuba for more than 2 seconds!

He turned over violently in his anger and closed his eyes as he tried to this of happier things that didn't include Kaiba...unless it has him kicking rich boys' ass. He soon fell asleep despite the uncomfortable floor and the others soon followed him into dreamland.

* * *

"Rise and shine, you no good, lazy..." a loud voice permitted Yugi's conscience as he pried open his heavy eyes.

"Wha..." Teà jumped up from the bed and rubbed her head.

"Talk about a wake up call..." Yugi sighed deeply. He much preferred it when the Pharaoh had woken him up quietly in his mind rather than this loud shouting, it was making his head spin.

"Get up, kids, if Ra is awake then so should you be," Amunet stormed into the room and stared down at the sleepy youngsters. Solomon was already stretching his muscles and rising from the bed and she nodded, clearly in approval.

"Here, you'll want to wear something to cover up," she threw Teà a creme dress, "You're so pale the sun'll make a roast outta you before you can say 'Ra!'," she added.

"Thanks..." Teà said sleepily.

Ishizu was still wearing her dress and since it was styled in the fashion of the ancients she was probably the only one to fit in. She was already putting on her headdress, and she was thanking Ra that she hadn't taken it off before the storm on the boat had started.

Within minutes Amunet and two of her sons were already handing out jobs on the ground floor, many of the people who had been there last night had already left.

"Hey, why aren't those other dudes helping?" Joey moaned as he looked over at the space by the fire place that was now empty.

"They pay to sleep here at night, it's none of my business what they do in the day so long as they pay for the night, but you want me to keep a room empty for ya, then you earn it. I don't make the rules but I gotta pay my way somehow," she answered, "And so do you."

She lead them out a back door and they saw a huge expanse of land reserved for farming. It was right next to the Nile and there were already people out pulling plows or herding animals. "It's growing season, you know what that means," she said.

"Err...not really," Duke shook his head.

"It means get planting," she handed him a bag of seeds, "Just plant these ones, here and here..." she pointed to a space of lands that was already being lower by another man, "You follow behind him and make sure you keep 'em in rows."

"Right..."

"You get a break when I say so and not before otherwise you can find yourself another place to stay. First meal of the day comes later, then you can have a wash in the river and get back to work," she said and left her younger sons, whom she introduced as Mehy and Paser.

They were more friendly than their battle ax mother and explained to the newcomers how each task was done. Of course Kaiba saw the work as beneath him and it was only after a lot of pleading from Yugi and his little brother that he even condescended to dry dishes in Amunets' kitchen.

Later she had Teà, Ishizu, Mokuba and Yugi grinding grain for bread by turning a stone carved into a circle with a hole in the middle to pour the grain into. Since elders were treated with respect Solomon spent the whole day playing senet with other men in the street or conversing with Amunet while she carried out her less strenuous daily chores.

While Joey, Tristan, Duke, Odeon and Marik along with several other men were given the task of cleaning out the animals quarters. "Great..." Joey moaned, "Just great...out first day here and how do we spend it? Are we looking for clues?"

"Nope," Tristan answered.

"Are we looking to find the Pharaoh?"

"Nope," Duke answered.

"No...'cos we're stuck here shovelling animal cra..." he shouted but he was silenced by a swift look from Marik who was getting a little annoyed.

"Well we're lucky we even have somewhere to live, and we can start looking for clues later. We can even try to get jobs in the palace," Marik said and they sighed in resignation.

"Yeah, yeah..." Joey sighed and continued with the unpleasant job, his only saving grace was the fact that he could go and swim about in the Nile soon.

They soon found out that the first meal of the day was simple bread and beer, since it was drunk more than water. And the gang were sat around a wooden table with their plates and cups with some eating with more dignity than others.

"Y'know...this bread ain't bad..." Tristan said with his mouth full as he gulped down more of his beer as well.

"They do say, hunger's the best spice," Yugi said sheepishly as he watched his friends practically inhale their food.

It didn't take them long to finish their food and Joey soon took their plates back to the small kitchen area where Amunet was sitting washing the dishes.

"Come on, old battle axe says we're done for the day so let's go wash up. I dunno about you guys but I sure smell," Joey said as he came back towards them.

It was impossible to tell the time but it was probably only about 1 in the afternoon since the sun was still high in the sky. Many people were crowding in the streets to use the shade of the cotton canopy hung across the houses and the market was in full swing.

People were stood in the shade of their houses with wooden stalls and stands selling fruit and vegetables, clothes and animals, jewellery, games and children's toys. "We can look later," Yugi told Joey who wouldn't take his eyes of the food stalls.

When they finally ached the river they saw they they weren't the only ones with the idea of taking a bath. Many people went in without their clothes while others jumped straight in. Joey, Tristan and Duke were the first ones to run and jump into the water fully clothed, ignoring the strange looks they got from the other people there. They were soon followed by Mokuba and Yugi and the rest joined them.

"...Come on!" they heard a young girl shout, "Stream or river, sea or lake, water do your masters will!" she shouted as she waved an elaborate stick...or wand at the water. But soon she fell to her knees with a sigh, "I'll never get it right..."

"Mana, there you are," a young boy said and they watched as a boy with long brown hair and simple clothes came up to the girl. "Why did you run off like that, master Shimon is worried."

"Where's the Prince?" she asked, ignoring the boys question.

"With his father, he..."

"Mahad...he will be alright...won't he...the Pharaoh cannot..." she stuttered with a worried expression.

"I do not know, the king is very weak, and nothing seems to help him," the boy Mahad said. "The Prince is very worried," he added, "Come, we should go," he said and helped the girl to her feet then together they left.

"Hey wasn't that..." Joey said as he lifted his head out of the water.

"What was her name...Mana?" Teà said, "She's younger than before," she added.

"Well if that boy last night was the Pharoah...I err...I mean the Prince, then I guess it's only right that his friends will be younger too," Yugi replied.

"I think we should get inside that palace and find him," Joey said with gusto.

"And how're we going to do that?" Kaiba snapped with his usual chilly demeanour as he washed his arms, "We're the equivalent of peasants here."

"Well, Marik here said that we could get jobs there," Tristan suggested.

"Well you couldn't Kaiba, and neither could I," Yugi sighed and took a deep breath before submerging himself in the water.

"Whys d'at?" Joey asked him when he cam back up after a few seconds.

"Doubles, remember," Yugi answered, "There'd be too many questions, and we don't need anymore questions that we can't answer."

"Oh, yeah...right..." Joey muttered and splashed water over Tristan while he was deep in thought.

"Hey, dude!" Tristan shouted and splashed Joey back, soon a water fight ensued and they were even joined by some children from the village.

Kaiba walked out of the river and now he watched from the shore with a frown, he was dripping wet but the blistering sun would take care of that soon. At least Mokuba was smiling; his only priority was his little brother. He would need to think and come up with a plan soon, he didn't want to spend the rest of his life here, he had a rich, cushy job in the 21st century and there was no way he was gonna give it up now. He'd worked at it too hard to let it slip through his fingers because of some caped stranger and magic mumbo jumbo.

* * *

Meawhile inside the palace walls a young boy with tri-coloured hair and gold adornments was sneaking quietly around the grand building. Having been raised in its walls he knew every short cut and hidden passage way, and he often used them to escape his tutors monotonous lessons.

Right now he needed space. His father was lying unmoving in his royal chambers and the boy was afraid that his father, the King of upper and lower Egypt would soon join his mother in the fields of the gods. He didn't want his father to die. He needed his father, he loved his father and he was not ready to be Pharaoh.

While the stable boys were not looking he jumped into the saddle of a white mare that had just been returned and kicked it off to a gallop. He wasn't running away...he just needed to be alone for a while.

* * *

A.N Don't forget to review!


	3. Chains of Gold

A.N. if anyone is actually reading this story then I apologise for the long update, the only reason there is one is because I wrote most of this a while ago. I haven't abandoned this fic but the inspiration isn't coming as quickly as I wanted it to. It will get finished...eventually.

* * *

**An Alternate Ending**

Chapter 3: Chains of Gold

* * *

Joey, Duke and Tristan were sitting outside in the cool night air, they were leaning against the old walls of their 'home' for the time being. The desert at night was beautiful, the air was far cooler and much more easy to cope with. The streets showed people making the most of the lower temperatures and people ran from building to building doing last minutes chores, not wasting even a minute of their day.

People here knew that the night, whether dangerous or not, was the only time on the desert when they could go around without the searing heat and most people slept on the roofs of their houses.

The trio watched several people scurrying past carrying pots of water or food under the shining stars. But they were taken by surprise as they, as well as the people in the streets heard the sound of shouting men and the loud sound of hooves approaching.

Joey squinted down a small side street and he nudged Tristan and Duke beside him and they watched a small rider skilfully steer a huge white horse down the street and over obstacles without knocking anything over.

The chase was exhilarating to watch, at least five guards, and none of them small men, rode after the young boy who had a determined yet terrified expression on his face. But with ease the boy rode into a narrow alley and quickly weaves through the streets as though it was a practiced routine.

People jumped put of the way but the boy was clearly trying to avoid them as well as the obstacles in the streets. They lost sight of the rider as he continued to weave in and out of the streets but soon he returned to the main walkway and he was free of his pursuers. He slowed the horse down to finally stop in the shadows.

"...Whoa..." Joey breathed as they watched the young boy...no...it was the prince of Egypt...jump down from the horse after surveying the street. Joey never imagined he'd see his friend Atemu, the most confident, powerful and intelligent man he'd ever met...lookinh so vulnerable.

The young prince was wearing enough gold and jewels to make him richer than Kaiba and he had a sword hanging from his waist. He raised his tanned palm to stroke the horses face and it whinnied in approval as the boy sighed sadly.

Joey and his friends scuffled behind the wall and within seconds they heard a sharp swish of metal and they walked slowly from behind the wall with their hands up.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded and they could hear that the man they had known was in there somewhere.

"Name's Joey, and these idiots are my friends, Duke and Tristan," Joey answered but the boy didn't lower his blade.

"You have...unusual names..." the prince tilted his head slightly as he considered the names in his mind.

"Not where we come from we don't," Tristan replied, "You're the one with the strange names."

"You know my name?" he asked.

"Err...nope,"Joey shook his head and elbowing Tristan, deciding it would be best to try and gain the boys' trust not scare him off.

"Then let us keep it that way," the boy said with confidence and determination.

"If you say so," Joey replied.

"So, who were you running from?" Duke asked him. But the boy seemed wary of revealing information to strangers he put his sword away but he kept his right hand resting on the hilt, ready to act.

"I was not running," he replied.

"Uh-huh, sure you weren't," Tristan nodded and leaned back against the wall, making his effort to make the tense atmosphere moe relaxed he took a bite from a chunk of bread left over from his meal. "Bread?" he offered but the child's shook his head.

"I thank you, no," he replied politely.

"Yeah, that's probably a good choice, it ain't that good, the old battle axe ain't the best cook," Joey said and snatched the bread from Tristan to take a bite himself and swallowed it with an over-exaggerated look of disgust. "Ugh..." he shuddered and handed it back to his friend.

"So if you weren't runnin', what were ya doin'?" Duke asked calmly.

"I was..." the prince faltered and he seemed to lose the words but he kept his head high and his back straight, as though he was pinned upright...it wasn't as regal as it had been a minute ago, Joey guessed that the boy was slowly falling apart. It was difficult to watch.

"Hey, you don't wanna say then d'at's fine with us, we're just a couple o' guys hangin' round eatin' bad bread, right guys?" Joey smiled and once again he snatched he'd the bread from Tristan and took another bite before tossing it for Duke to catch.

"You said it," Duke said as the corse bread met his tongue.

"Come on, sit down, we don't bite, y'know," Joey smiled at his future friend. he watched as the boy looked a round nervously as he took his horse by the reigns and lead the beautiful beast down an alleyway, clearly he didn't want to be found yet. "You worried 'bout your...friends...comin' back?" he asked.

Strangely the prince nodded in agreement and went to sit in the shadows afforded by the large building. He looked almost tired...world weary...for a child so young it was unusual to see such a look. "Well how 'bout this; we won't tell your secret if you don't tell ours," Joey said with a smile.

"What secret do you have to hide?"

"We're Americans," he whispered as though he were confessing to a crime. But the ancient prince frowned at him in confusion.

"...Americans?" the boy repeated, the word sounded foreign to him. He had always paid attention in his studies but that was definitely not a word he'd heard before. Did that mean these people were spies?enemies of Egypt? They didn't seem like enemies...the prince ad aways believed he was a good judge of character, he had been able to see into the hearts of men since he could speak and these people did not seem like bad men. But he kept in mind that looks could be deceiving.

"America's...err...this really big country...it's really far away..." Tristan said to him which made him even more curious.

"What is it like?" the prince asked.

"Well it's...err...it's err...it's...big and err..." Tristan scratched his head but realised that the things that defined America didn't exist yet. It hadn't even been discovered by Europeans yet. "It's like a big...forest...type place..." he remembered seeing pictures of the old America before colonialism...he thought...he never had paid much attention in shorty classes.

"Forest?"

"Yeah...trees and stuff..."

"It's not a desert then?" the prince frowned.

"No...well most of it isn't..." the older man added with a smile. It was then that the prince decided that these people were not threat to him; they were unarmed an clearly meant him no harm. He'd never been around people...except for Mana that treated him as a person rather than a prince, it was refreshing to be treated as a normal person again.

He only stared at the strange men, they were wearing even stranger clothing and had unusual accents that he couldn't place. It was safe to say that the young prince was intrigued by them, and he'd always loved a mystery.

"How long have you been in Egypt, then?" the prince asked them.

"Couple of days...we err...we sort of...got...lost..." Joey replied with a smile.

"You...got lost...in the desert?"

"Sure did," Duke nodded with a grin and the prince tried to conceal a small smile of his own. These people were easy going and far more fun to talk to than the temple priests who, however interesting, always spoke only of religion, naturally.

"I find that difficult to believe," the prince replied but they didn't reply. They sat in silence for a while but when shouting and horse hooves could be heard coming closer the prince jumped up and lead his horse out of the shadows. He'd have to run again, or the guards would find him, they never left any stone unturned when they searched for him.

"Just...how old are you?" Joey asked as the prince mounted his horse.

"I fail to see that that..."

"Please...just tell me..."

"I am thirteen," the prince replied tersely before riding away into the night.

"Thirteen," Joey repeated when he was sure the prince couldn't hear them, "He's a kid," he sighed.

"Gee, what gave that away?" Tristan muttered sarcastically.

"No, I mean if that other kid was right about his dad...bein' sick and all...and he did look off...then if his dad died he was king when he was a kid..."

"We don't know that," Duke talked over him and lead the two back into the building. It had been a long day and they were all in need of some rest...for the whole thing would begin again tomorrow.


	4. From Faint Recognition

A.N. Well, here I am again, the inspiration bug really abandoned me after the last chapter for this story, but my inspiration's never been very reliable anyway. That being said; I hope you like reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, guys.

* * *

**An Alternate Ending**

Chapter 4: From Faint Recognition

* * *

Joey, Tristan and Duke stumbled tiredly back into the house and they pushed and shoved past each other with indistinguishable grunts of indignation as they tried to get up the stairs as fast as they could. They easily forgot that some of the other inhabitants of the building would be sleeping as they noisily stomped over the first floor corridor to their room which they shared with Kaiba, Mokuba, Odeon; all of whom they saw were trying to sleep.

"Could you dweebs make any more noise if you tried?" Kaiba snapped grumpily as he buried his face into his coat / pillow.

"I dunno…" Joey yawned, "I'll get back to ya on that," he said as he practically fell onto the area of the floor designated as his bed, "That was one weird night," he muttered to himself before falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

"…GET UP!" shouted Amunet as she strolled cheerily through her house, "Ra says it's time for work…"

"Yeah…well, Ra can take his damn work and shove it up his…" Joey said, his voice thankfully muffled by his messy hair and crumpled makeshift pillow as he squirmed around on the floor trying, and failing to get back to sleep.

Inwardly, Kaiba agreed with him, of course he'd never admit it, but he did. He wanted out; wasting away yet another day washing or drying more dishes, or doing farm work or whatever else the woman had in mind for them was not something the young CEO was eager to do again. He needed to find out how to get back and staying here wasting time wasn't going to make that possible any time soon…if at all. But Kaiba was stumped as to how he'd even begin to go about getting back home; if he did, he certainly wouldn't still be here, forced to share a room with people like Joey and others who believed in things like 'fate' and whatnot.

"I think she enjoys waking everyone up like this every day," Mokuba said to him with a tired smile.

"You said it, kid," Tristan nodded.

"I hear talking, I don't hear movement!" Amunet yelled from outside the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Joey grumbled, givin up trying to sleep again he stood up and made his way to the door, "Ya happy now?" he asked the woman who was standing there with her arms crossed. She nodded simply and then turned her attention to the other rooms on the floor, shouting and yelling at the inhabitants.

Odeon stifled a yawn as he too got up and Tristan and Duke joined Joey at the door with Mokuba at their heels. Together the four of them went to the next room and knocked on the door. "Guys, you better get up soon, or the crazy, shouty lady won't be happy!" Joey said as he banged on the door.

"Hey, we never told Yugi we saw the Pharaoh, did we?" Duke asked just before the door was opened.

"You saw who?" Solomon asked them, opening the door.

"Yugi up yet?" Joey asked quickly but he saw his smaller friend still trying to curl up under his blue jacket with Teà trying to wake him up at his side.

"Nope," she answered him.

"Come on, Yug, we got somethin' t'tell ya," Joey said cheerily. He knelt down beside his friend and energetically started to push Yugi's shoulder.

"Mmmm…go 'way grandpa…" Yugi muttered.

"No, you gotta get up, Yug," Joey repeated, now beginning to get irritated.

"I don't wanna go to school…" Yugi continued and Tristan laughed.

"School'd be a lot better than whats waitin' out there, trust me," Duke said.

"You're never gonna believe who we saw last night!" Joey exclaimed loudly in Yugi's ear, and the younger duellist jumped awake.

"Wha...who?" Yugi yawned, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"Good, you're up," Joey smiled contentedly.

"What…who'd you see?" Yugi asked him eventually.

"The Pharaoh...er...I mean the Prince," Tristan said.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Teà asked.

"We fell asleep!"

"Useful," she shook her head as the others began to get up, and soon, they were all gathered on the ground floor, sitting around the table as Amunet gave out orders for people's jobs for the day.

Aside from caring for the animals and briefly helping with tending the crops there was little to do that Amunet gave them and so, it wasn't long before Yugi along with Tristan, Duke, Joey, Teà, Mokuba, Ishizu, Marik, Solomon and Bakura wandered the main streets of the day's market sale.

"Why don't we have markets like this back home?" Joey asked sadly as he gazed at the colourful stalls of exotic fruits.

"Maybe because we're 3,000 years in the past," Tristan muttered and strained his eyes to look ahead.

People were beginning to move aside for a small precession lead by a beautiful white horse with a silken mane and a small rider. There was the sound of happy cheers and smiling people waving and bowing as the Prince rode through the streets with an excitable Mana walking beside his white horse, but the young boy looked exceptionally sombre and tired. There were four guards, two walking on either side of his horse, and directly behind him was Priest Seto riding a brown horse and holding the Millennium rod tightly in his hand. Occasionally he would glance at the sombre prince with sympathy, and then his training would kick in and he was back to searching for possible threats to the future monarch again.

"I think we should go over there, and…are you listening to me? Prince?" Mana said as she looked up at her friend.

"Hmm?" the prince hummed and glanced back at her, "Yes, yes, I am listening, Mana…"

"No, you're not," she shook her head sadly.

"I am sorry, this was a bad idea, I should be in the palace with father," Atemu replied.

"He's got the best healers in the land, and you've hardly slept at all, you need a break," they heard Mana reply. Yugi and his friends, along with the whole street could hear what they were saying, but no one made it obvious as they respectfully bade the Prince past.

"I won't be able to have 'breaks' when I am king," said the Prince.

"That won't be for a long time yet, I know it, the Pharaoh…your father isn't going to…"

"Mana, please, I have to go back…" the Prince said quickly, and he suddenly pulled on the reigns and turned the horse around. He startled the guards in the process and Seto looked just as surprised.

"My Prince, please, some time out of the palace was the Pharaoh's suggestion," said the Priest, "It was not an unwise one."

"But, Seto, I…" the Prince sighed and slowly, he began to calm his horse which had been showing signs of bolting, "Very well," he acquiesced, "We will stay…for now."

"Whoo hoo!" Mana exclaimed and jumped up in the air, much to Seto's obvious disapproval.

They continued slowly down the street when suddenly everyone stopped as they heard a loud voice shout; "Stop him! Thief! Come back here!" it was an out of breath man. He was balding and red faced, clutching his side as he came out of one of the buildings waving a sharpened tool in his hand. From behind him, a young man ran through the street, after the 'thief' but in so doing he was pushing past people in his haste and before long he ran straight into the Prince's entourage. The white horse reared and loudly whinnied and the young man fell to the ground before the impressive beast.

"Halt!" the guards commanded.

"No, please, I must…" the young man begged quickly as sharpened spears were pointed down at him.

"After him," the Prince suddenly ordered them, gesturing into the crowd.

"But, sir…" one of the guards began, looking back to the boy on the ground.

"Please, sire, I meant no harm," he repeated, "Our tools were stolen and I must get them back."

"Go!" the Prince ordered them again, and the guards didn't need telling twice; three out of the four took off after the thief with people from the crowd instantly pointing out the direction in which he'd fled. Joey and Tristan quickly followed after the guards with Duke and Bakura close behind them without thinking and they ran through the streets.

"Who are you?" the Prince asked the young man whose face he thought he recognised.

"Gyasi, my Prince, third son of Khepri the stone mason," answered the boy reverently, "Sire, you need not trouble yourself…"

"Those tools mean a great deal to you, do they not?"

"Y…yes, my Prince…" Gyasi nodded nervously.

"Where'd they get to?" Yugi asked himself as he looked around the street.

"They never think things through," Teà sighed as they, and the townspeople gathered around the Prince.

* * *

Meanwhile, the three guards, closely followed by Joey and his friends were running down a narrow alley between a row of houses and they could see the back of the thief. They'd already run past the main streets and fields and they were beginning to slow down from exhaustion.

"He's getting away!" one of the guards cursed.

"And it'll be our necks too," another panted.

"I'm not planning on spending the next festival in a cell because of some little thief! Come on!" the third guard shouted at them.

Joey, always proud of his running skills, ran quickly past the guards and tackled the thief to the ground, "Gotcha!" he yelled. The guards stared at him only for a moment before hauling the man to his feet and dragging him back to the Prince. "…You're…welcome…" Joey panted quickly as Tristan helped him up.

The guards made their way back to the main square, lugging the protesting thief with them, "My Prince, we have the thief," one of the guards announced as they dragged a youngish looking man with dirty hair and hands, pushing him kneel before the Prince's horse.

"Good work," Atemu nodded as one of the guards took the stolen tools from the kneeling man and handed them back to Gyasi who started at them curiously, "Take them, they're yours," he said to the young man.

"But, I…" Gyasi stuttered as the man placed the objects in his worn hands, "T…thank you, sire," he bowed and backed away slowly.

"Sire, we…had help," another of the men said when Gyasi was gone.

"Oh?" the Prince asked curiously.

"Yes, sire…there, it was them…" the man said as Joey and the other emerged practically dragging each other forwards and they joined Yugi and the others.

"Oh," young Atemu repeated with a raised eyebrow and a look of faint recognition, "Bring them here," he said and the guard nodded before leaving to do so.

"Who are they?" Mana asked and Seto regarded the group of teenagers with deep interest. All but the two women were dressed strangely in clothing styles he'd never seen before and their skin tones were paler than was normal for the country. He was especially intrigued by the young boy who greatly resembled the Prince, however this child was also pale and lacked the regal bearing of a royal, but the resemblance was nothing short of striking.

"You," the guard said and Joey jumped.

"It wasn't me, officer, I swear!" Joey yelled and his friends sighed.

"The Prince wishes to speak with you."

"Oh," Joey sighed in relief as the guard led the ten of them forwards towards the white horse of the Prince.

Young Atemu froze in place as his eyes settled on Yugi, it was almost like looking at himself in a mirror; it was also sightly unnerving. He also saw Solomon who was a dead ringer for his father's most trusted vizier Siamun and a woman who bore a striking resemble to one of the palace priests; Isis. This was turning out to be a very unusual day.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Yugi sighed when he noticed Atemu frowning in confusion at them.

"Yeah, good going, Joey," Teà rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed indignantly.

"Bow before the Prince of all Egypt," the guard told them as they slowed to a stop in front of said Prince.

"Wow...they're strange looking," Mana whispered not so quietly to the Prince.

"You have my thanks," the Prince said as they bowed awkwardly, only Ishizu and Marik managing to remain dignified and confident.

"Er...no problem, I guess," Joey rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm...we're..."

"I remember who you are," he nodded with a smile, making them look at him curiously, hoping that somehow he did actually know them. But they were disappointed when he continued, "You are the 'Americans' who lost their way in the Deshret." (*1)

"Yeah..." Joey laughed uncertainly as Yugi and the others stared at him, "That's us."

"The what?" Mana scoffed in confusion but Priest Seto scowled at her and she said nothing further.

"Would you join us?" the Prince asked them.

"Well, I..." Yugi trailed off. He didn't know whether it was a good idea for him to spend time with the young Prince in case he discovered something. On the other hand it would be interesting and no doubt fun to see what Atemu was like as a child. And it would be rude to turn down an offer from a Prince.

"Hey, Yug," Joey waved a hand in front of his face, "You in there, what're we doin'?"

"Let's go," Yugi answered.

"Sire, I should point out..." Seto began.

"Yes?" Atemu turned to him.

"This might be a little premature..."

"Do they seem dangerous to you?" the Prince asked skeptically.

"Things that pose a danger do not always appear as such."

"Perhaps not, but it was you and Mana suggesting that I remain out of the palace," Atemu told him.

"Yes," Seto sighed, "But I don't believe the Pharaoh meant..."

"And if they do pose a threat, I'm sure they will be no match for you," the Prince replied and Mana smiled.

"As you wish, my Prince," the man nodded simply and Atemu lead his horse forwards again.

Yugi and his friends felt slightly awkward at walking beside the Prince whom they actually knew as a great and powerful Pharaoh, and they found it difficult to keep in mind that this boy didn't actually know them yet. They introduced themselves and Mana marvelled at their foreign names.

It wasn't long before they made their way to the bank of the Nile and the Prince dismounted in the shade of a large but crumbling wall of sandstone and mud. His four guards and Priest Seto stood attentively a few feet away as Yugi and his friends sat down beside the Prince when he gestured for them to do so.

"So," he began, "What are you really doing here?"

"What? What'd you mean?" Yugi asked him.

"No one simply 'gets lost' in the desert, you didn't expect me to believe that, did you?"

"Nice one, Joey," Tristan muttered to his friend.

"So...does that make us a threat?" Yugi asked the Prince.

"I haven't decided yet," Atemu answered truthfully, "Why would you stop a petty thief if you truly were malicious? Unless it was part of a plan to deceive us, of course."

"You're over thinking, it, y'know dude," Joey said, but then cursed himself as he remembered that this wasn't quite his friend. The young Prince only looked at him with an amused expression.

"I like them," Mana said to him as she walked across the the Prince.

"You also liked the idea of wearing a three cubit wide hat in the sun." (*2)

"Okay, I admit that was a bad idea," the young girl floundered, "It was way too big and the spell didn't exactly work..."

"And you especially liked the idea you had about creating pomegranates from rocks."

"Erm...again...that wasn't one of my best ideas..." Mana stuttered from embarrassment.

"No, Mahad didn't seem to think so, did he?"

"Okay, so the healers didn't agree with me either...I...guess I'll leave the ideas to you then..." she smiled nervously.

"Thank you," he said with a raised eyebrow.

Yugi could only share a confused and shocked look with his friends as they heard the young Prince bantering with Mana so easily; this was not the dignified, stoic Pharaoh they were used to seeing as a disembodied spirit.

"Why did you help that man, anyway?" Mana asked them.

"'Cos he needed help..." Joey shrugged, "Doesn't have to be a reason to help someone. Why did you? Couldn't he have been lying about being robbed just to steal from someone else?" he asked the Prince, "I've seen some dirty tricks people use to steal stuff."

"He wasn't lying," the Prince said with familiar confidence.

"How'd you know for sure?" Duke asked.

"It was in his eyes."

"Huh..." Joey frowned.

"And it helps that I've met his father," Atemu continued, "He works in my father's temples quite often, and he doesn't make many friends in his profession...or so I've been told. The man who stole from him was another craftsman he'd had a disagreement with, I recognised his face; it was done out of spite, not greed or necessity."

"That's cheatin'," Joey muttered, openly impressed.

"No, it isn't," the Prince smiled, "...Master Aknadin tells me that remembering such things is not a task for the future King," he frowned. "He would disapprove of my interference in such matters."

"He 'disapproves' of almost everything," Mana sighed and the Prince shot her his own look of disapproval, "He makes a face just like that! That's really scary, you looked just like him for a second," she giggled.

"Why'd you help him then?" Yugi asked.

"I couldn't not help him," was the Prince's simple answer. "It's strange," the Prince added, "In truth I hardly know you at all...but I feel as though I do," he added. He glanced down at the ground with a concerned frown before standing immediately, "I should go," he shook his head and walked over to his horse.

"What? Why?" Teà asked but he didn't answer.

"Guards," the Prince called them unnecessarily as they already moved to mimic his movements to keep close to him. "We return to the palace."

"Yes, sir," they nodded.

"Thank you once more for your aid," he told them formally and urged the horse forwards, "Mana," he called back when she didn't follow.

"We'll see you again," she waved at them and ran to catch up to the Prince.

"Well...that went well..." Yugi sighed once the Prince was out of earshot and his friends nodded sadly.

But the young prince didn't get far before he saw a flicker of shadows in the light and it seemed to move in the distance before moving behind him. He glanced back across the river when he saw a shadow move across the reeds and he narrowed his eyes in search of it.

"Something wrong?" Mana asked him and he quickly turned back to her noting that his horse had stopped he moved it onwards again.

"No, no, nothing," he said, shaking his head as they continued on their way.

* * *

In the chambers of Egypt's great King Aknamkanon, his younger brother and trusted advisor Aknadin was sat at the King's bedside with a look of hidden concern for his brother's welfare. It hadn't been long since the man had been in good health, and now all of a sudden he was as weak as a newborn kitten starved of milk. It had all started when the King had taken his son and heir to the Sacred Cave Temple of the Gods and the Prince had called for aid via the trusted messenger hawk; Horus, trained for Pharaoh himself.

No one knew exactly what had transpired in the Temple because the King was not well enough to speak of it and the Prince refused to do so. However, Aknadin had a good idea of what had happened. He guessed that his brother the King, had confessed of the creation of the Millennium items to the Gods themselves and in so doing he had, in a sense, assumed complete responsibility for them, thus accepting the wrath of the Gods. Aknadin couldn't help but feel guilty, but his part in creating the items had saved the lives of thousands of innocent civilians; that had been what he and his brother had wanted.

"My brother," began the weak and dying Aknamkanon, "You must...help my son..."

"Pharaoh..." Aknadin began, "You must rest."

"No...no...my son...my son...will be king in...all but name...now...I am unable...to rule the people...but...he is still young..." the King spoke through coughs and pants of breath. "He is not ready...my son...is a good prince...he will be...an even better Pharaoh...he is safe now...he will not come to harm now..." he broke off and fell back against the soft cushions and pillows on his bed and breathed heavily.

"As you say, Pharaoh," said the bearer of the Millennium eye and he walked from the room, leaving the healers to their job once more.

He strode out into the spacious corridor with a concerned expression; now that the Pharaoh was unable to perform his royal duties his heir would be expected to take over and do so, but his heir was only a boy of thirteen. A very intelligent and capable prince nonetheless, but still just a boy. A boy could not be expected to rule over a great country as Egypt and not attract the attention and envious gaze of their enemies who would take advantage of such an opportunity.

While the Pharaoh was still alive, the young prince would still be considered just that, however, unless the King recovered quickly, it would be the prince who would be expected to receive important guests in the throne room, he would need to sign and approve important documents and plans, he would need to conduct religious ceremonies with dignity and pride, which he did have in spades, but he did have a childlike mind overruling all of that still. The prince found more fun in hiding from his tutors than he did in their lessons- not that he didn't do exceedingly well at his studies, but how could a child be expected to be ruler of Egypt?

Aknadin was very concerned; he had sacrificed an awful amount in defence of his country already and he wouldn't let it come to harm now. He planned to have a very serious talk with his young nephew as soon as possible, but first he needed to meet with the other Guardian Priests of Pharaoh's high court.

* * *

(*1) Deshret was the formal name for the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and for the desert Red Land on either side of Kemet (the Black Land), the fertile Nile river basin.

(*2) Forms of measurements used for length ; Short cubit = 6 palms = 24 fingers c. 45 cm. Or a Royal cubit = 7 palms = 28 fingers c. 52.5 cm.


End file.
